Teen's death mourned
By Greg Risling, Associated Press



LONG BEACH -- Mourners packed a church here on Monday to remember a 14-year-old boy whose family claimed he committed suicide because he was threatened by a school official for participating in immigration protests.
About 200 people gathered at a church here to remember Anthony Soltero of Ontario. Some of his friends wore black shirts with the eighth-grader's face on the front.

Soltero died following a week's worth of student protests in Southern California that triggered a police crackdown on truancy. The protests were in response to proposed federal legislation that would crack down on illegal immigrants and strengthen the nation's border with Mexico.

Family attorney Sonia Mercado said Soltero was part of a protest at DeAnza Middle School on March 28.

Mercado contended a school administrator pulled Soltero aside on March 30 and told him he could be jailed for three years, banished from his graduation and his parents could be fined for his involvement in the protest.

Fearful of the repercussions, Soltero called his mother about the conversation, then shot himself in the head before she arrived home, Mercado claimed.

was distraught enough to the point he took his own life," said Mercado, a civil rights attorney.

On Monday, school district officials released a statement but failed to address whether the incident occurred.

"The district expresses its sincere sympathy for the student's family and friends," the statement read. "Out of respect for the family's privacy and because litigation is being threatened against the district, we can't comment any further regarding this very unfortunate incident."

District spokesman James Kidwell declined further comment.

Mercado said Soltero excelled in school, often getting A's and B's in his courses.

"There was nothing else in his life to indicate anything was wrong," she said.

my question is what was with the "police crackdown on truancy" when students were missing classes for a worthwhile reason?

I guess parents were sending their kids to school so that is where the law wanted them.

Teachers really need to think before trying to scare the shit out of kids. It's a pretty dumb thing to do and it's done so often. If it doesn't make the kid a nervour wreck it leads them to have distrust in what most authority figures say.

I know. People can be so fucking stupid about things like that. Those kids could have skipping school because they just didn't want to go, but you have to give this cause some kind of credit.

ugh.

nevermind.

EDIT